Neil takes a cosmic trip to Finsbury Park to see Michinari Ozawa's 'Our Cosmic Dust'.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Cast of Our Cosmic Dust - photo credit Pamela Raith

Finsbury Park's intimate Park Theatre is a perfect fit for Michinari Ozawa's English adaptation of his award-winning play, Our Cosmic Dust. His tight direction effortlessly melds puppetry – one of the oldest forms of theatre – with live actors and state-of-the-art projections, as we meet the young Shotaro, masterfully brought to life and voiced by British-Japanese actor Hiroki Berrecloth. Struggling to comprehend the recent passing of his father, with whom he shared a passion for astronomy, he runs away in search of answers. Could they lie within the breath-taking spacescape that fills the entire back wall of the theatre? On his journey, he encounters an eccentric cast of characters, all trying to deal with grief in their own ways. And always just one step behind him, his anxious mother, Yoko.

Both moving and funny, space-age and timeless, this small‑scale production feels as vast and wondrous as its celestial backdrop.

Looking to the cosmos - Photo credit Pamela Raith

If you fancy taking a cosmic trip through love, loss, and the magic of stargazing — all from the comfort of your theatre seat — Our Cosmic Dust runs at the Park Theatre until 5 July 2025.

Tickets cost £22.50–£49.50.

CAST

Hiroki Berrecloth – Shotaro

Nina Bowers – Tara

Ian Hallard – Orion

Millie Hikasa – Yoko

Hari MacKinnon - Alastair

CREATIVE TEAM

Michinari Ozawa – Writer, Director & Set Designer

Susan Momoko Hingley – Adaptor & Translator

Mikayla Teodoro – Puppet Director & Designer

Eika Shimbo – Video Designer

Ceci Calf – Co-Set Designer & Costume Designer

Jodie Underwood – Lighting Designer

Tomohiro Kaburagi (ORENOTE) – Sound Designer

Orenograffiti (ORENOTE) – Composer

Alexandra Rutter – Associate Director & Dramaturg

Naomi Downham – Casting Director